It’s that time of year when, as we have done for the last decade or so, we have dragged ourselves from the revelries here at SFFWorld to try and put some sort of order to our favourite (and not so favourite!) stuff from 2017.
The first part, on Fantasy & Horror books is HERE and the third part on Genre Film & TV is HERE.
And so, in the finest traditions of trying to reduce our lists to five in each category, here’s the first part of our attempt to show what we liked (or didn’t) this year. Taking part are Rob Bedford (Rob), Mark Chitty (MarkC) and Mark Yon (MarkY).
Part 2: Science Fiction
In no order, Mark Y’s top 5 Science Fiction books for 2017:
I think some may be surprised by this making my list this year. I know that some have commented on how the lead character is little more than a female Mark Whitney, that there’s some dodgy science and, for long-time readers, there’s not a lot that’s new. And yet, for all those criticisms, despite all those criticisms, its energy and enthusiasm made it still one of my most entertaining reads of the year.
Austral was one of my slow-burn novels this year. A cli-fi novel that I kept thinking about, long after I’d finished it. It’s well written and nicely styled, which with some subtle characterisation and worldbuilding that has a cumulative impact, even when not a lot appears to happen.
Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill
I think that this was my most fun SF novel this year, which may be surprising as it covers the end of human civilisation! Engaging from the get-go, this frenetically-paced novel was a revelation from an author I previously knew for his fantasy. The future’s not bright for humans, but very interesting in what happens to robots. There’s a real sense of old-style SF here, with panache and humour, which made me think of Asimov’s seminal ideas brought thrillingly up to date. Great fun.
I said in last year’s End of the Year review that I was looking forward to this one, and I’m pleased to say that it didn’t disappoint. Iron Gods throws big concepts together, sets a cracking pace from the start and sets things up nicely for the last book in the trilogy, due next year. Do I need to say that I’m looking forward to the next one as well?
Avengers of the Moon by Allen Steele
After highlighting Arkwright as my best ‘feel-good’ SF novel of last year, it perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise that this one makes my list. It’s a great old-style pulp-SF novel with slightly revised sensibilities for the 21st century. Like Arkwright, it knows its SF history and gleefully revels in it. Good guys and girls, heroes and villains, aliens and robots, this was fun from start to finish.
Honorable Mentions:
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
This novella was a surprise, as I didn’t know Martha Wells wrote SF. The lead character is a self-deprecating robot with a nice line in dead-pan humour and a killer. Makes a nice counterpoint to Sea of Rust.
Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter
It’s a tough ask, writing a sequel to what is perhaps the most famous SF novel ever. There are many other authors who have tried, and failed against such an iconic text. I liked this one in its broadening of the original palette and modernising of the original story into the 1920’s & 30’s. Its enjoyment was also helped by a re-reading of the original beforehand.
I’m going to let the other Mark mention this one. It was close, though!
Rereads / Old Stuff
As ever, there was also a set of SF re-reads I really enjoyed. I guess one of the biggest events for me in 2017 was that, after about seven years, I finally finished reading and reviewing the Heinlein juveniles. Starship Troopers was a reread that created mixed emotions as the now noticeable transition from juvenile writer to mainstream adult writer became complete – with both good and bad results. I’m still debating a reread of Podkayne of Mars, though it may not happen.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
To be honest, for a book nearly 70 years old, I wasn’t sure that this one would hold up, but for the most part it does. Thoughtful, lyrical and scarily relevant to 2017, much more than I expected it to be.
A Lot Like Christmas by Connie Willis is a reimagining of Miracle and Other Christmas Stories. It was a welcome and provided a much-needed wallow in the joys and celebrations of Christmas, with the occasional harsher moment too.
Arthur C Clarke Rereads: Earthlight, A Fall of Moondust, Rendezvous with Rama, and Prelude to Space. I enjoyed all of these, though some more than others. Rendezvous still disappointed, to my dismay, but the book I thought would be the weakest (Prelude) was one of the ones I most enjoyed, laying out both Clarke’s agenda into Space and sharing his optimism.
Rob Bedford’s Top 5 suggestions:
Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey
The Expanse universe continues to expand (forgive the punnish allusion) and the characters have shown signs of aging, especially as this novel is set so long after years after the previous novel. I found myself identifying very strongly with Bobby Draper for a few reasons. First, she is an amazingly well-rounded, likeable, believable character. Seeing her maturation and progression through these books has been great to read/watch. So Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck are really smart, really clever writers in many ways. Persepolis Rising can be seen as the ramp to the end of this series. The previous six books can be broken down into two over-arching stories. Jumping the storyline 30 years presents both a new impetus for the series and an opportunity for new readers to potentially begin reading the series. With two seasons of a television show completed and third to come, people have been more interested in reading these books, as sales have proven. Some folks may be wary of starting a set of six (or seven) books, so a good entry point is a smart move.
At the Table of Wolves by Kay Kenyon
In this novel, the launch of an Alternate History, Kenyon posits a world where Talents (superpowers) emerge in about 1 in 1000 people as a result of the bloom, the trauma that World War I engendered in the world in 1918. At the center of Kenyon’s story is Kim Tavistock, an American Expat and journalist living in UK with her father Julian. She was one of the select few to manifest a talent, in this case the Spill, which when in effect, gets people to open up and tell her secrets or information they would have otherwise kept close to the vest. This is very clearly the opening of a series, Kenyon does a wonderful job of introducing the characters and laying the foundation for more to come especially in the glue that holds everything together in her protagonist Kim. There are many things to appreciate about this wonderful character, her intelligence, her honor, her belief in doing what she believes to be right. What I also respected about the story was that Kenyon didn’t allow nepotism to be a reason for Kim’s advancement in Monkton Hall. Her drive and intelligence secured her position, impressed her co-workers and superiors.
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty (review at Tor.com)
Clones aboard a generational starship and murder combine in Mur Lafferty’s Six Wakes, a taut, engaging thriller that showcases the writer’s skill for plotting and character. Where this one is a bit different is that the victims are “reborn” soon after dying. In Lafferty’s imagined future, clones can regenerate upon death making them ideal to oversee the flight of 2,000 inhabitants of the starship Dormire. There’s a lot to unpack in this relatively short novel, but Lafferty takes a great approach. W
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
Having taken a break from the Old Man’s War universe, John Scalzi launches an Epic Space Opera with The Collapsing Empire, a title that sets the tone for what to expect and the grand canvas on which he tells his story. In The Collapsing Empire, humanity has spread across the stars because of the discovery of “the Flow” and Earth is something between a memory and a myth. Three primary storylines come together seamlessly and through it all, the characters stand out as people whose introduction here in The Collapsing Empire portend what is hopefully a long journey over several novels and stories. At the forefront are these amazingly well-rounded, believable women.
Thrawn by Timothy Zahn (No Review)
Yes, a Star Wars novel. Yes it is great. Yes some of the enthusiasm is because Thrawn is a legendary, Expanded Universe character who is now officially Star Wars Canon. Some elements of the character’s origins and history as depicted in the Expanded Universe are part of this novel, and it largely lives up to the hype and anticipation that preceded the novel. I listened to the audio version of the book and the narrator did a wonderful job emulating the character’s voice as depicted by Mads Mikkleson on Star Wars: Rebels. All told, a great character story that works on many levels as both fantastic Star Wars story and an enthralling story, period.
And lastly, but by no means least-ly, and in no order, Mark C’s top 5 SF books for 2017:
Bobiverse Trilogy by Dennis E Taylor
The Bobiverse trilogy – We Are legion (We Are Bob), For We Are Many, All These Worlds – is perhaps a bit of a cheat, but this is my list, dammit, so I’ll cheat however I want! But seriously, the first book came out in September 2016, while the other two followed this year, and it was this year that I read them all (the first two twice). These are great books – funny without being overly so, thoughtful with its approach to AI and space exploration, and in places action-packed when other intelligences are discovered. These are good, honest science fiction, and I really can’t recommend them highly enough.
Beyond the Empire by K.B. Wagers
The finale to Wagers’ Indranan Empire trilogy, and while I enjoyed the first two books immensely, this one really knocks it out of the park. A matriarchal interstellar society facing civil war along with the threat of full-on galactic war with a neighbouring civilisation, all told by such a unique character in gunrunner-turned-empress, Hail. This whole trilogy is great and well worth a read.
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
The sequel to Sleeping Giants, Waking Gods continues the story of the giant robot Themis and all that revolves around her discovery. Add to the mix more robots turning up over the globe and this is near unputdownable. With its different way of telling the story by using interviews, news snippets, log entries, and various other forms, this really does give the feeling of something big happening. Highly engaging sci-fi here.
Acadie by Dave Hutchinson
I really don’t have much to say about Acadie other than it’s fantastic. Not only does it drag you in nicely with it’s first 2/3rds, but a great twist and excellent pacing make it such a joy. After finishing the book I went straight back to re-read it given what I knew at the end. Great stuff.
Vanguard by Jack Campbell
I’m a huge Lost Fleet fan, so a series detailing the formation and early years of the Alliance and Syndicate Worlds was going to be a must-read for me. Vanguard manages to do everything it needs to in order to set up the situation in the galaxy, all the while dropping hints at what to expect in future novels. It’s not perfect, but boy is it fun for a fan like me.
Honourable Mentions
The Bastard Legion & Friendly Fire by Gavin Smith, Change Agent by Daniel Suarez, Fight and Flight by Scott Meyer.
And that’s it for SF Books this year. Lastly, we’ll look at our favourites from Film and TV. We hope that you may find some of the suggestions here useful!
